Dahaad

Amongst many ordinary thriller web-series and movies with known star-casts, it is rare to get a true edge-of-the-seat thriller series that stands-out.

Dahaad is one of the rare good ones.

Surprised to see the low rating and reflects probably more on who all have watched thus far.

Whether casting, story, pace, dialogues or filming, all are top-notch and you will be pleasantly surprised when you finish the series. More importantly, it is not one of those stupid series which ends season 1 with many unanswered questions.

Good one for binge-watch and then feel satisfied that u did. Hope to see season 2 getting made and being in the similar league of Family Man.

The story of Dahaad is based on Cyanide Mohan, a South Indian serial killer. Firstly, the series is well thought out and well constructed. The cinematography is top grade; the set design feels very authentic; scenes of Rajasthan are as fantastic as this land truly is. The dialogues are well written, and the actors' delivery sound very Rajasthani except for a few (you know who).

The integration of present-day communal and religious tension in the series is intelligent. It provides a different flavor compared to the usual Serial Killer Thrillers. But the social issues get too dragged in the show. Highlighting issues like casteism or misogyny is a good thought, but making it one of the main themes in a crime thriller has tediously lengthened the series.

Another point in question is that though the story is set in present-day Rajasthan, some scenes in Dahaad feel like scenes in some American crime series. The reason being the excess of typical American series elements directly borrowed and put into Indian settings. Such American elements feel artificial to Indian policing, which is at the centre of the show.

The climax and all the later episodes are very predictable, quite in contrast to the first 2-3 episodes that fully grip your attention.

P. S. - A shoutout to Gulshan Devaiah and Vijay Varma for their awesome performances.

Over the years, I've realized that that murder mysteries are usually either 1. Whodunnits: We, the audience, and the protagonist, together, find out who the bad guy is OR 2. Howcatchem (A term I didn't know existed): We know who the bad guy is from the very beginning, and HOW the protagonist finds out who it is in the ride we're on. #1 is tough, #2 is SO MUCH TOUGHER.

Most of the shows, especially the desi ones in the recent past, pick style #1 since it's relatively easier and overdo misleading the audience. Think Vadanthi, Aranyak, etc. I think it's very bold of a write to pick writing style #2, you've revealed who the 'bad guy' is, how do you keep the audience invested now? Think Dexter, Death Note, and dare I say, Drishyam?

Dahaad falls into the second category and (nitpicking aside) it is very well made suspense-thriller in comparison to recent content in this genre. All performances are top-notch, Sonakshi was trolled over the years but I'm glad she got a chance to play something she's not in the past. Vijay Varma and all the support cast - slow claps. I did hear that the Rajasthani accent was inconsistent throughout the show but I didn't catch it since the actual show was gripping.

In addition to the murder plot, there's a lot of social commentary on gender inequality, violence against women, casteism, and so on - without it getting preachy or in your face. Good cinematography; the intense sound design and music deserves a special mention.

We rarely get serial killer on the loose shows out of India and if we do, they're mostly backed by lackluster writing that assumes the audience is dumb. This...was different. GOOD different!

Usually it's always difficult to make a good serial killer story, but Dahaad is so beautifully written and directed that I coup help but binge watched the entire season in a day. And while telling a gruesome story of a psychopath the story points out to many flaws in our society, from gender biasness, caste system, and social pressure on girls to marry and of course the dowry system in India. But none of this social messages were nicely woven into the story and didn't appear as a propaganda. One of the best series in hindi in recent times. Very well written, edited, executed, acted and above all perfect casting. Good to see Sonakshi Sinha being utilised to her potential. All the characters are so well developed and performed by each actors. Vijay Verma's performance is so good, that no adjectives are enough for that. There are times seeing Vijay Verma's character will give you a skin crawling feeling. At times his subtle performance was so good that he reminded me of Irfan Khan.

A fantastic crime thriller, truly staggering in depth and complexity. This is perhaps the first time we have seen a serial killer who operates and thrives in developing nations' archaic, biased and unfair culture, especially in the rural areas of Rajasthan where caste and gender still dominate lives. I was amazed that this is based on a true story.

Sonakshi brilliantly plays Anjali, a lower caste up-and-coming police officer whose passion and ambition outdoes her society-allocated station in life. She shows dogged determination to crack the cases of mysterious disappearances and tragic suicides and demonstrates an unwavering commitment to duty.

The writers of this brilliant series take great pains to keep the viewer guessing, unable to predict the next move of the genius-level serial killer, as tangled webs are woven. The monster disguised as an angel is utterly effective in evading capture.

I also appreciated the fresh take on the personal lives of police officers, who are subject to the same domestic challenges as the rest of us. The harsh backdrop of the sand-blasted towns of Rajasthan is a unique setting for this game of cat and mouse. I hope they continue this series.